


One Call Away

by hgleiser



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Ficlet, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 03:16:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10234616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hgleiser/pseuds/hgleiser
Summary: Fernando tries to convince Mark to stay in F1, but is it too late for them...or a relationship?  Rated teen for swearing.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this Mark quote that utterly broke me: "Had we done the deal in 2012 when the time felt right, I’d have committed to F1 for 2 more years until the end of 2014. I was ready to sign, but then the Ferrari guys seemed to drag their heels a bit and in Montreal I thought ‘I don’t have a good feeling about this’. By Silverstone I’d concluded, another year with Red Bull and that’ll be it. Fernando did all he could to change my mind- I’ve still got the text messages actually- but it was too late. By the time Ferrari started pushing really hard the moment had passed."

_You can’t leave._

What choice do I have? I can’t wait forever for Ferrari to make a deal with me. One more year at Red Bull and I’m done.

_So you can’t wait for me?_ Fernando knows he’s being childish expecting Mark to stay for his sake but the words appear on the screen too easily now, his heart aching too much to hold back.  _Why?_

Nano, don’t be like this. You know I would if I didn’t feel this was the right time. I’ve had a good run. Would be nice to come around as your biggest fan as opposed to your rival. ;)

_We were never rivals. You have Sebastian for that._

There are other things I’d rather think about than him right now. If he calls me for dating advice about Jenson one more time I’m blocking his bloody number.

_Is why you should come race next to me instead. Would be an honor to share a garage with you._

Mark places his phone on the nightstand and furiously rubs his eyes to erase any trace of tears. Had it come from anyone else it would have been the flattering bullshit he’d have brushed off and forgotten about, but Fernando isn’t anyone else. He never has been. No one else has the smile that makes him feel lightheaded. No one else has the sense of humor that manages to, along with a few potent drinks, temporarily erase the memory of a bad race. No one else haunts his dreams—even the various men who have haunted his bed in his efforts to forget—the way Fernando does. He remembers how he used to be irrationally jealous of the crew constantly milling around the car trying to get it to the standard he knew Fernando deserved just to be close to him for more than the usual five minutes they stole between media obligations for a hug and a laugh. _Closer than I’ve ever been,_ he thinks. _And still not as close as I wish I could be._

My time is up, Nano. Yours isn’t. You’ve still got championships to win. I’m a bit of an old dog now. I’ve done what I can.

Fernando’s fingers hover over the screen a moment before going for a last-ditch effort. _Our time isn’t._

What are you talking about?

_Us._

That’s how he’s always seen the two of them. Never “Mark and I”, never “my fellow driver”, just “us”. It’s been clear to Fernando almost from the beginning that their relationship is something more than friendship despite his inability to put a name to the way his heart races when Mark takes his hand or the lump in his throat when Mark congratulates him on another win. He’s never known what to call it except for happiness. _What else could it be?_

For the first time, he wishes he knew.

Fernando, do you really think I’m going to stop being your best mate just because I won’t be in the paddock as much after next season? That I won’t call you? That I won’t surprise you with a visit in Melbourne? I’ll miss you.

Fernando chews on his lower lip, blinking several times before reaching for a tissue. _It won’t be the same._

Nothing will change except the distance, buddy. I promise.

_Don’t want that to change. I wish there wasn’t any between us._

It’ll never change our friendship. We’re still friends, aren’t we?

_Always._

Then what’s got you so afraid of being without me?

Fernando draws his knees to his chest, trembling with quiet tears for several minutes at how right he is.

Nano? Are you still there?

_I can’t be without you. I try. I see other people and I can’t._

He’s never told Mark, but on weekends when they’re not racing he’s gone home to Oviedo and a seemingly endless string of blind dates set up by his sister Lorena out of concern for his lack of a stable social life. “I’ll find someone perfect for you,” she’d assure him. “Trust me. Oh, and try to not talk about Mark so much.”

Much to his frustration and Lorena’s dismay, he fails miserably every time.

You dated? Why didn’t you tell me?

_Nothing happened. It wasn’t worth mentioning._

Jealousy rears its ugly head again, twisting Mark’s stomach in knots over the perceived threat of another man with Fernando at the cost of his unwillingness to speak up, and his fingers fly across the keyboard.

It’s worth mentioning when there’s someone who might be interested. Tell me the truth. Are you with anyone right now?

 _No._ _Are you?_

Mark feels a sick sort of relief at that, desperately hoping it means the risk he’s about to take will pay off.

No. Are you waiting for someone?

_If he will wait for me, yes._

How long?

The instant he presses send he closes his eyes, afraid he’s passing the point of no return. _Until he comes to Ferrari or home with me._

Several minutes later the phone rings. “Nano, I’m not coming to Ferrari...”

“I thought I would try again...” Tears sting at Fernando’s eyes. “I’ll keep trying because I...”

“Yes?”

He takes a shaky breath. “I love you, Mark. I love you. I need you with me. At the track, in Oviedo, everywhere.”

Mark doesn’t bother to wipe away the tears this time, knowing they won’t stop coming. “I love you too. I should have said something before now but I was afraid you wouldn’t want me.”

“Have wanted you for a long time. I was afraid too.”

“You would think 300kph would be more terrifying than telling your best mate how you feel.”

Fernando can’t help but giggle. “Is not. I go around Eau Rouge, no problem. I tell you I have crush on you, I need to use the bathroom.”

“We’re a couple of fools, Nano, you know that?”

“Kimi used to say only fools fall in love.”

Mark grins at the screen. “I think he might be on to something there.”


End file.
